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     1.4 +Cardcaptor Nadeshiko
     1.5 +Chapter 1
     1.6 +by G.P. and Amazoness Duo
     1.7 +pearsong1954@yahoo.com
     1.8 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.9 +
    1.10 +Spring came all in a rush that year, brusquely chasing away winter's chill. Nadeshiko was drawn 
    1.11 +to the burgeoning sunshine like all the plants and animals that bloomed and stirred after a long 
    1.12 +hibernation. The park near her house was closed for construction, but an indulgent mother 
    1.13 +cheerfully ferried the girl and her cousin to the nearby park at Tomoeda. Stopping in a crowded 
    1.14 +lot, Nadeshiko's mother bustled the children to the edge of the just-green grass. Sitting on her 
    1.15 +heels, she earnestly looked at her daughter as she spoke,
    1.16 +
    1.17 +"Nadeshiko-chan, I want you to stay in the park, and be careful. Please don't wander around, and 
    1.18 +stick by Sonomi-chan, OK? Nadeshiko-chan?"
    1.19 +
    1.20 +But the girl was already lost in the budding branches and twittering birds. Her emerald eyes 
    1.21 +sparkled in wonder as she clasped her hands and hopped excitedly. A little zephyr teasingly 
    1.22 +tossed her long, silvery hair, as if inviting the beautiful child to come and play. With a sigh, 
    1.23 +her mother smiled and looked at her daughter's companion.
    1.24 +
    1.25 +Born nine months before her flighty cousin, Sonomi's height and serious manner made her seem more
    1.26 +mature than her 10 years.  Wearing her reddish-auburn hair in two long, practical pigtails, and 
    1.27 +dressed in a pretty white skirt with a frilly, long-sleeve mint-green blouse, she looked 
    1.28 +perfectly attired for the cool, spring day. Nadeshiko's mother placed her hand on the girl's 
    1.29 +shoulder and gazed into her sky-blue eyes. With a pleading smile, she said,
    1.30 +
    1.31 +"Please try and watch out for her, Sonomi-chan."
    1.32 +
    1.33 +Sonomi bowed quickly and answered, "Hai."
    1.34 +
    1.35 +The Amamiya woman stood and said,  "Il be back at three o'clock to pick you up. Oh, and here's 
    1.36 +some money for lunch. They have a nice little stand that sells snacks over by the playground. 
    1.37 +Have a fun time!"
    1.38 +
    1.39 +As the older woman waved and walked away, Sonomi bowed, but her daughter was already running 
    1.40 +towards the bushes, quickly followed by her nearly frantic cousin. Poised to enter the car, she 
    1.41 +watched them from a distance. Her precious daughter, growing up so fast! With a smile and a 
    1.42 +sigh, she started the engine and drove away.
    1.43 +
    1.44 +Nadeshiko tilted back her head and stared at the sky. She began to twirl about; arms spread 
    1.45 +wide, giggling, slowly gaining speed as the dancing dizziness took her. Laughing, she collapsed 
    1.46 +in a heap as the shimmering world tilted and spun. Lying back in the grass, shading her eyes 
    1.47 +from the dazzling sun, she slowly regained her equilibrium. Puffy white clouds hovered in the 
    1.48 +turquoise sky, drifting gently on some unseen breeze. The little girl loved simple things. Each 
    1.49 +leaf and pebble, every grain of sand and drop of briny water at the beach was a world of it's 
    1.50 +own. She could stare for hours at droplets trickling down a rainy-day window, or fat, white 
    1.51 +snowflakes silently falling. Boredom was an alien emotion she had never experienced, for there 
    1.52 +was always something to catch and teasingly hold her attention. Closing her eyes, feeling the 
    1.53 +world swirling about in the inner darkness, she heard a voice softly calling,
    1.54 +
    1.55 +"Nadeshiko-chan, you shouldn't spin around like that. You'll make yourself sick."
    1.56 +
    1.57 +Her eyelashes fluttered, and a slightly tilting Sonomi filled her vision. Sonomi-chan! For a 
    1.58 +moment she lay there, gazing at the solemnly beautiful girl sitting by her side. She felt 
    1.59 +ice-blue eyes regarding her with loving care and concern. Smiling, she reached out and lightly 
    1.60 +took one of the swaying pigtails in her hand. Fascinated, she traced the contours of the 
    1.61 +twisting braids with her fingers, her eyes following the terra-cotta curves of the girl's 
    1.62 +lustrous hair. In a whispery voice she asked,
    1.63 +
    1.64 +"Sonomi-chan, can you show me how to braid my hair like this? It's so pretty."
    1.65 +
    1.66 +Sonomi blinked in momentary confusion. Feeling her hair in the hand of the gorgeous girl left 
    1.67 +her breathless and blushing. She felt a flash of irritation at herself for being so surprised at 
    1.68 +her cousin's sudden change of topic. She was often blindsided by the strange girl's erratic 
    1.69 +thoughts and actions. With an inner sigh, she conceded the impossibility of sticking to the 
    1.70 +original topic. Rather than continuing her lecture on the dangers of dizziness, she let herself 
    1.71 +go with the unpredictable flow. She was also aware of the crimson-hot blush spreading across her 
    1.72 +cheeks as she answered,
    1.73 +
    1.74 +"Thank you, Nadeshiko-chan. I'd love to show you how to braid your hair someday."
    1.75 +
    1.76 +For a while Nadeshiko was silent, lost in contemplation. Then she sat up, gazing at Sonomi. Her 
    1.77 +cousin looked away, blushing again, unable to voice the feelings she barely understood. Nadeshiko
    1.78 +stood and suddenly started singing to herself, beaming down at Sonomi. She teetered for a few 
    1.79 +halting steps, giggling at her fading dizziness. Sonomi shot up to steady her, and was suddenly 
    1.80 +hugged by her cousin. The slender body embraced her tightly, nearly overwhelming her in a storm 
    1.81 +of scented, silvery hair. Again she heard the soft, feathery voice,
    1.82 +
    1.83 +"I love you, Sonomi-chan."
    1.84 +
    1.85 +Sonomi was dumbstruck. Nadeshiko baffled her, enchanted her, and set her heart racing. Around 
    1.86 +the girl her emotions were always in a whirl, robbing her of speech and reason. All she could do 
    1.87 +was hug back with a fierce, mysterious affection. Finally, Nadeshiko laughed in a high-pitched 
    1.88 +trill, then dashed away like some nymph in the forest. Sonomi breathlessly watched her go, shook 
    1.89 +off the odd urge to cry, and then sprinted off to make sure she was all right.
    1.90 +
    1.91 +All that day they played in the park. The spring sun warmed them, and the buds and blossoms, 
    1.92 +shaking off the shackles of winter, cheered them with the news that all life comes ‘round again. 
    1.93 +They nibbled little crackers and snacks, and Nadeshiko bought a sweet potato from a broken-down 
    1.94 +looking truck. Sonomi frowningly said they might get ill from such unlady-like fare, but accepted
    1.95 +the steaming portion of sweetness from her cousin, secretly reveling in the illicit treat. 
    1.96 +Finally, they wandered to an open field bordered with sakura trees. The cherry blossoms were in 
    1.97 +early bloom, floating over the grassy expanse like pink and white clouds. Nadeshiko squealed in 
    1.98 +delight and ran to greet her favorite flowers. Sonomi trailed along behind, half watching a group
    1.99 + of older boys playing baseball at the far end of the field. One of them, large and muscular, 
   1.100 +swung hard and knocked himself down, laughing all the while. But the next pitch he pulverized, 
   1.101 +the ball leaping off his bat, rocketing past the outfield, towards the sakura trees, and, Sonomi 
   1.102 +realized in horror, right at Nadeshiko-chan.
   1.103 +
   1.104 +Nadeshiko stopped running as soon as she reached the first tree. She looked up at the sky, 
   1.105 +dappled sunlight scattered by thousands of sakura blossoms waving gently in the breeze. Reaching 
   1.106 +up with delicate fingers, she touched a satiny flower, felt the hard, rough branch and a slick, 
   1.107 +shimmering green leaf. Overflowing with indescribable joy, eyes drinking in the quivering beauty,
   1.108 +she smiled. She felt her body melting away, her ephemeral frame vaporizing in a spray of light. 
   1.109 +For an instant she saw with the eyes of the tree, old eyes that had watched a hundred thousand 
   1.110 +sunsets and millions of stars spinning in the black satin sky. She saw the world of trees, where 
   1.111 +time meanders in a slow and steady flow, where people and birds and bugs chatter and eat and 
   1.112 +pass away in an instant. And then, she saw the ball, a streak of white lightning blazing straight
   1.113 +at her, at the flowers and buds and branches, at the fragile flesh and bone of her pale, 
   1.114 +porcelain face. She heard a thin scream, wailing from far away, calling a name, her name? But 
   1.115 +she stood still, entranced by the dipping arc of the ball as it sailed towards her, gathering 
   1.116 +speed in descent, whispering of pain and disfigurement and dark, seductive death. As the white 
   1.117 +blur approached, crashing through the twigs and leaves, sending up a shower of pretty, pink 
   1.118 +sakura blossoms, she felt a sudden pressure on her arm and shoulder, a jarring shove knocking 
   1.119 +her off balance. Her eyes followed the slow-motion flight of the ball as she fell, it's course 
   1.120 +straight and true even as it's target tilted away. The ball struck, cushioned by her thick, 
   1.121 +silken hair, glancing off the side of her head. In a flash her vision grayed and faded, and the 
   1.122 +blackness took her.
   1.123 +
   1.124 +Sonomi exploded in a desperate sprint, a fatal race against the streaking ball. As she strained 
   1.125 +every muscles and sinew, she saw Nadeshiko transfixed, watching the sky. She screamed her name 
   1.126 +even as her lungs gasped for air, but the girl ignored her. Panic and fear were swallowed in a 
   1.127 +longing for speed as all thoughts and feelings gave way to a singularity of instinct. As 
   1.128 +Nadeshiko filled her vision she leapt like a panther for the kill, outstretched fingers clawing 
   1.129 +at the innocent girl. Her momentum shoved her cousin back with a sudden snap, but too late, as 
   1.130 +the ball hit her head with a sickening thud. The two tumbled to the ground together, but Sonomi 
   1.131 +quickly sprang back up and knelt by Nadeshiko's side. Her eyes closed, the girl lay still as 
   1.132 +death in the sweet, spring grass. Sonomi felt an icy dread gripping her chest as she stared at 
   1.133 +the broken doll figure splayed in the grass, silvery hair spread like a fan, framing the 
   1.134 +beautiful, lifeless face. The unthinkable tore at her self-control like some frenzied animal. 
   1.135 +She trembled, tears falling freely, dotting Nadeshiko's creamy white ice-cream dress like little 
   1.136 +raindrops. She was oblivious to the breathless voice behind her, 
   1.137 +
   1.138 +"No. Oh, no."
   1.139 +
   1.140 +The teenage boy in the baseball uniform knelt on the other side of the fallen girl, concern 
   1.141 +etched in his face. He reached out and took the girl's slender wrist, feeling for a pulse. The 
   1.142 +relief poured out in his gentle voice,
   1.143 +
   1.144 +"She's alive. Thank goodness. I was so afraid. My, my house is right over there. Let's take her 
   1.145 +there, OK?"
   1.146 +
   1.147 +Sonomi, still in shock, nodded as the sempai easily lifted the stricken girl, carefully cradling 
   1.148 +her head in his large arms. 
   1.149 +
   1.150 +Nadeshiko slowly awoke in shadowy darkness, with only a thin trickle of sunlight eking past the 
   1.151 +drawn shades of an unfamiliar room. Fragments of dreams lingered as her eyes focused on the dimly
   1.152 +lit ceiling. She scanned the unfamiliar space, and then heard the music again. The music from her
   1.153 +dreams, the music she had followed while she slept. Slept? Why was she sleeping in a funny room 
   1.154 +like this? But the music called to her again, and she sat up, listening. She stood, a bit 
   1.155 +unsteady at first, and then tiptoed to the door. The music was behind there, behind that door. 
   1.156 +Curious, she opened it a crack, and heard the music swell. It was some sort of dance music, a 
   1.157 +Western waltz, maybe. Her eyes were already used to the darkness, and she carefully crept down 
   1.158 +the creaking stairs. Awareness of a headache slowly came, but in her fascination with the 
   1.159 +alluring music she ignored it. Finally, she reached the basement floor, and found herself in the 
   1.160 +middle of a library. 
   1.161 +
   1.162 +There were all manner of books packed on the shelves, most of them very old looking, with titles 
   1.163 +in languages she could not read. She followed the delightfully cheery music, looking for a radio 
   1.164 +or phonograph. But there were only books. Finally, she paused, puzzled, and simply listened to 
   1.165 +the wonderful tune. She smiled. And then she began to dance.
   1.166 +
   1.167 +Holding the scalloped hem of her dress, she slowly began to twirl and step to the music. She 
   1.168 +was, at times, something of a clumsy girl, and wondered if that explained the bump on her head 
   1.169 +that she felt just now. But she danced with an easy grace, and was charming to behold. Her mother
   1.170 +had enrolled her in dance class at an early age, and if she lacked the burning desire and 
   1.171 +ambition of the other girls, her natural beauty and poise had quickly won over the instructors. 
   1.172 +The Russian woman told her mother that the girl had the natural talent to be a professional 
   1.173 +ballerina, and that in the old country she would have been boarded at one of the great ballet 
   1.174 +schools and molded properly. But Nadeshiko was too easily distracted, and her sweetness too 
   1.175 +potent for the teachers to apply the harsh discipline needed to bend her to their will. Yet when 
   1.176 +she danced, the other students watched, some in awe and some in envy, for she seemed to them 
   1.177 +like some fugitive from the realms of Faerie.
   1.178 +
   1.179 +So she danced, green eyes sparkling, hair loose and free, bare feet tracing deft patterns on the 
   1.180 +dusty floor. The magic buried deep inside of her awoke, and shone forth like a blazing beacon of 
   1.181 +pure, white light. In the cramped spaces of the dark basement she leapt and spun, a shimmering 
   1.182 +whirlwind of pirouettes and swirls. Then her motions slowed, fingers tracing slow circles in the 
   1.183 +air, timidly tip-toeing like a fawn in the deep forest. Gyrating, gliding with light-footed ease,
   1.184 +she danced for the music whose source she could not see. But she was seen, and watched with 
   1.185 +surprise, delight, and yearning. Suddenly leaping high, then descending airily, her dress 
   1.186 +ruffling like gossamer in the wind, she was startled by a thudding sound on the ground by her 
   1.187 +tiny feet. The music stopped, and so did her dance. Curious, she bent over and picked the book 
   1.188 +up. It was an odd volume, ancient by it's look, heavy, and thick with dust. She brushed it off, 
   1.189 +and saw the image of a winged, golden lion on the back, and strange moons and a sun on the front.
   1.190 +The book was fastened with metallic clasp, and as she examined it more closely she realized that 
   1.191 +it was a western book, and the lion was actually on the front cover. But what could be in such a 
   1.192 +strange and marvelous volume? Why was it locked tight? Aching to know, her agile fingers 
   1.193 +carefully pried the clasp. At first resistent, it suddenly sprang open with a click that sounded 
   1.194 +distressingly loud in the quiet basement. 
   1.195 +
   1.196 +Nadeshiko gently opened the book and was amazed to find not pages, but a recessed hollow 
   1.197 +containing what looked like cards. She carefully placed the book on the floor, and took out the 
   1.198 +top card. It was so beautiful! On it was a young woman in a magical dress that looked just like 
   1.199 +a blossom. Her hair was worn in two twirly cones, with little spiral tresses dangling at the 
   1.200 +ends. She had flowers for earrings, and smiled beatifically, eyes closed, as petals rained down 
   1.201 +upon her. There were strange, petal-like symbols on her forehead and breast. The mysterious 
   1.202 +figure was bordered by a frame with the sun on top, two seven-pointed stars on each side, and a 
   1.203 +crescent moon at her feet. She was absolutely adorable, and Nadeshiko loved her at first sight. 
   1.204 +Her name was written in Romanic letters, in the English language that always baffled the girl at 
   1.205 +school. Nadeshiko struggled to remember the complex patterns of sound that the alien letters 
   1.206 +formed,
   1.207 +
   1.208 +"Teh...heh.....ee...The, The!  Foo...Row..." She struggled with the impossible "L" sound. 
   1.209 +Concentrating, her tongue feeling odd and thick, she tried again,
   1.210 +
   1.211 +"The...Fo...low...her......Follow?....The Flower!" 
   1.212 +
   1.213 +The excitment of discovery lit up her face, and in the same instant the card was lit with an 
   1.214 +equally sudden, oscillating white light. She felt the card fall, or leap, from her hand, and was 
   1.215 +momentarily blinded by the shatteringly brilliant light. Falling backwards in surprise and 
   1.216 +banging into a bookshelf, she barely kept on her feet. Painfully squinting her eyes, the room 
   1.217 +was illuminated in a soft, pale, glow. Gradually growing used to the brightness, she discerned 
   1.218 +the outline of a figure in front of her. At the same time she caught the unmistakable scent of 
   1.219 +flowers, hundreds of flowers mingled together, gardens and greenhouses and fields full of 
   1.220 +flowers. With a start, she recognized the outline of the figure before her as the beautiful 
   1.221 +young woman in the card. 
   1.222 +
   1.223 +Open-mouthed, she gasped as the woman slowly approached her. Regarding her with luminous, 
   1.224 +multi-hued eyes, the flowery creature dipped in a pretty little curtsey.  Not quite sure what 
   1.225 +else to do, Nadeshiko held the hem of her dress and offered her own curtsey in return. This 
   1.226 +brought a musical giggle from the woman, who smiled and leaned closer, regarding the barefoot 
   1.227 +girl with fascination. She reached out a hand, and gently ran her fingers through the long, 
   1.228 +silvery hair. Resting her palm on the girl’s cheek, Nadeshiko closed her eyes, nearly 
   1.229 +overwhelmed by the sweet scent of roses and lilies. Her eyes shot open as she felt a hand 
   1.230 +embrace her waist, pulling her closer as the music swelled. When the woman took her other hand 
   1.231 +and held her close, Nadeshiko blushed. This brought more giggles from the strange new 
   1.232 +acquaintance as she neatly stepped into the pace of the music. 
   1.233 +
   1.234 +And so they danced, Nadeshiko quickly falling into the rhythm of her taller partner. She had 
   1.235 +danced with other girls in her class, but never with someone like this. The two swept over the 
   1.236 +floor in a graceful arc, the girl following her partner step by step. At first, Nadeshiko 
   1.237 +labored to keep up, but she quickly gained familiarity with the pattern, and soon gave herself 
   1.238 +over to the motion and the music. There was a dreamy, unreal quality to the dance, and the girl 
   1.239 +was aware that as they spun and dipped, a flurry of flower petals were left in their wake. As 
   1.240 +the tempo picked up, they whirled about faster and faster, whipping up the air into a little 
   1.241 +cyclone. The books were shaken on the shelves, and Nadeshiko saw the cards in the mysterious 
   1.242 +book she had found thrown into the air, glowing and shimmering, spinning along with their dance. 
   1.243 +Finally, the cards burst through the ceiling in a blaze of light, slipping through the wooden 
   1.244 +surface like pebbles dropped in a lake. Astonished, concerned, and breathless from the waltz, 
   1.245 +Nadeshiko spoke in a panicky whisper, “Please stop.”
   1.246 +
   1.247 +In an instant, Flower flowed like liquid back into her card as Nadeshiko watched in stunned 
   1.248 +silence. Dizzy from all the twirling and spinning, the girl picked up the card in one hand, and 
   1.249 +felt her throbbing head with the other. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice shrieked out behind her, 
   1.250 +and the already disoriented girl leapt into the air,
   1.251 +
   1.252 +“The Cards!”
   1.253 +
   1.254 +Nadeshiko quickly bowed her apologies, “Gomenesai, I, Umm, it was all my fault. I didn’t know 
   1.255 +that the dancing would scatter them so.” 
   1.256 +
   1.257 +But as she peeked to see the feet of the owner of the voice, there was nothing but empty floor. 
   1.258 +Puzzled, she raised her eyes higher, and finally saw a small, winged little creature, paws on 
   1.259 +his cheek, staring dumbstruck at the now empty book on the floor. Nadeshiko stood up and stared 
   1.260 +in turn. Despite it’s obvious distress, the little animal was irresistibly kawaii, and with a 
   1.261 +delighted squeel the girl grabbed the creature and smothered it in a giggling hug. Squirming away
   1.262 +from the demonstrative stranger, the furry animal shot back in an accusatory tone,
   1.263 +
   1.264 +“Who are you? Where did the Cards go? How did they get free?”
   1.265 +
   1.266 +Giggling, Nadeshiko bowed and answered brightly, “I’m Amamiya Nadeshiko.” Then, clasping her 
   1.267 +hands behind her back, she leaned forward and continued, “I’m so very sorry if I lost your cards.
   1.268 +I guess it happened when Flower and I were dancing. She’s such an amazing dancer, and I guess we 
   1.269 +set too fast a pace. “
   1.270 +
   1.271 +The furry creature regarded her with a suspicious gaze and asked, “How did Flower get free. Did 
   1.272 +you see who did it?”
   1.273 +
   1.274 +Nadeshiko tilted her head, placing her fingertip on her cheek as she tried to remember, “Well, I 
   1.275 +don’t really know. I first saw her appear after I said her name written on the card.”
   1.276 +
   1.277 +Wings beating faster, the hovering animal looked at her in disbelief, “You set her free? But you 
   1.278 +aren’t the Card Captor. You can’t be.”
   1.279 +
   1.280 +Nadeshiko smiled and replied, “I don’t know what that is, a Card Captor, I mean. If I see that 
   1.281 +person, I’ll be happy to tell you.”
   1.282 +
   1.283 +“You spoke Flower’s name,” the creature asked. The girl smilingly nodded her assent. 
   1.284 +
   1.285 +“And then she appeared.” Again, the smile and the nod. The little animal continued to regard her,
   1.286 +as if measuring her against some hidden standard. Finally, he asked,
   1.287 +
   1.288 +“You opened the book.”
   1.289 +
   1.290 +Still smiling, she replied, “The Book.”
   1.291 +
   1.292 +He nodded.
   1.293 +
   1.294 +“THE Book.” She stated definitively. 
   1.295 +
   1.296 +Again, he nodded. With a puzzled look she asked, 
   1.297 +
   1.298 +“What book is that?”
   1.299 +
   1.300 +After his dizziness cleared, the animal squeeked angrily, “Baka! The Clow Book! The book with 
   1.301 +all the cards in it.”
   1.302 +
   1.303 +Nadeshiko’s expression brightened, “Oh, THAT book! Yes, I opened it. That’s where I saw the 
   1.304 +Flower card. I wonder what other cards were in there.” She stood lost in this new thought. 
   1.305 +
   1.306 +He gazed at her wonderingly, thinking to himself, “Is she the one? How can it possibly be her? 
   1.307 +Something about all this seems so wrong. But she says she opened the Book, and summoned The 
   1.308 +Flower.  And she sent her back; I saw that with my own eyes. How could she possibly do that 
   1.309 +unless…” Finally, he spoke up in a rolling, portentous voice,
   1.310 +
   1.311 +“Yes, now I see. I can see that you are indeed the Card Captor of legend. I am the Beast of the 
   1.312 +Seal, Kereberous the Golden, Guardian of the Cards, and for 300 years my vision has never failed.
   1.313 +Even now, the challenge of the Cards calls to us. Come, Card Captor, for our work begins!”  
   1.314 +
   1.315 +Kereberous struck an awesome pose, a formidable combination of determination, will, and hearty 
   1.316 +good fellowship. In response, Nadeshiko replied,
   1.317 +
   1.318 +“I wonder if there were any other flowers in there. Oh, or maybe other pretty things, like cute 
   1.319 +little netsuke, or maybe some yummy food cards!”
   1.320 +
   1.321 +Kereberous stared in disbelief at the girl, oblivious to everything he had said. Holding a paw 
   1.322 +to his bowed head he released an exasperated sigh. As he was about to speak again, a desperate 
   1.323 +scream rose from the floor above, “Nadeshiko-chan? Nadeshiko-chan! Where are you?”
   1.324 +
   1.325 +The girl looked up at the ceiling and whispered, “Sonomi-chan?”
   1.326 +
   1.327 +